I respectfully disagree with whoever instructed you not to apply moisturizer until you are done peeling. A 20% TCA peel basically inflicts a superficial wound. Wounds heal faster and better when they are kept moist. I instruct my patients to apply a bland moisturizer (e.g. Aveeno, Cetaphil, Cerave, Eucerin) frequently (3 times daily or more) following a medium-depth chemical peel for faster healing. Aquaphor can be applied to any open sores (I prefer not to have aquaphor applied to the whole face because clogged pores can develop. I also have my patients perform dilute vinegar compresses twice daily (1 teaspoon of vinegar to a cup of water) to decrease the risk of infection, the first 3 days after the peel and longer if there is continued oozing.
Hope that helps.
